Mar 7:31-37 | RWP | e4.org | Through the midst of the borders of Decapolis ( ανα μεσον των οριων Δεκαπολεως ). Jesus left Phoenicia, but did not go back into Galilee. He rather went east and came down east of the Sea of Galilee into the region of the Greek cities of Decapolis. He thus kept out of the territory of Herod Antipas. He had been in this region when he healed the Gadarene demoniac and was asked to leave.

‏ Mark 7:31-37

Through the midst of the borders of Decapolis ( ανα μεσον των οριων Δεκαπολεως ). Jesus left Phoenicia, but did not go back into Galilee. He rather went east and came down east of the Sea of Galilee into the region of the Greek cities of Decapolis. He thus kept out of the territory of Herod Antipas. He had been in this region when he healed the Gadarene demoniac and was asked to leave.

And they bring unto him ( κα φερουσιν αυτω ). Another of Mark's dramatic presents. This incident only in Mark.

Took him aside ( απολαβομενος αυτον ). The secrecy here observed was partly to avoid excitement and partly to get the attention of the deaf and dumb demoniac. He could not hear what Jesus said. So Jesus put his fingers into his ears, spat, and touched his tongue. There was, of course, no virtue in the spittle and it is not clear why Jesus used it. Saliva was by some regarded as remedial and was used by exorcists in their incantations. Whether this was a concession to the man's denseness one does not know. But it all showed the poor man that Jesus healed him in his own way.

Ephphatha ( διανοιχθÂητ, be opened). Another one of Mark's Aramaic words preserved and transliterated and then translated into Greek. "Be thou unbarred" (Braid Scots). Jesus sighed ( εστεναξεν ) as he looked up into heaven and spoke the word εφφαθα. Somehow he felt a nervous strain in this complex case (deaf, dumb, demoniac) that we may not quite comprehend.

He spake plain ( ελαλε ορθως ). He began to speak correctly. Inchoative imperfect tense.

So much the more a great deal they published it ( αυτο μαλλον περισσοτερον εκηρυσσον ). Imperfect tense, continued action. Double comparative as occurs elsewhere for emphasis as in Php 1:23 "much more better" ( πολλω μαλλον κρεισσον ). See Robertson's Grammar, pp. 663f. Human nature is a peculiar thing. The command not to tell provoked these people to tell just as the leper had done (Mr 1:44f.). The more Jesus commanded ( οσον αυτοις διεστελλετο ) them not to tell the more they told. It was a continuous performance. Prohibitions always affect some people that way, especially superficial and light-headed folks. But we have to have prohibitions or anarchy.

He hath done all things well ( Καλως παντα πεποιηκεν ). The present perfect active shows the settled convictions of these people about Jesus. Their great amazement ( υπερπερισσως εξεπλησσοντο ), imperfect passive and compound adverb, thus found expression in a vociferous championship of Jesus in this pagan land.